Design and characterization of indium gallium arsenic phosphide/indium phosphide and indium(aluminum) gallium arsenic antimonide/gallium antimonide laser diode arrays

Semiconductor laser diodes and laser diode arrays are efficient electrical to optical power converters providing their output energy in relatively narrow emission spectra. The different wavelength ranges are well covered by different semiconductor materials. InP-based laser diodes cover the wavelength range from 1-mum to 2-mum. The region between 2 and 3-mum is well handled by type-I devices based on the GaSb material system.; We designed, fabricated and characterized InP-based and GaSb-based laser arrays with record high continuous wave output power emitting at 1.5-mum and 2.3-mum, correspondingly. A laser array based on the InGaAsP/InP material system was developed for optical pumping of erbium doped solid state lasers emitting eye-safe light around 1.6-mum. The 2.3-mum laser arrays can be used for optical pumping of recently developed type-II semiconductor lasers operating in the mid-infrared atmospheric transparency window between 3.5-mum and 5-mum.; Optical pumping requires pump sources that reliably provide output energy in a relatively narrow spectral range matching with absorption bands of illuminated materials. Also the compact size of laser diodes and laser arrays is preferable and convenient in different implementations, but it leads to significant overheating in high power operations. The inherent properties of semiconductor materials result in a red-shift of the laser emission spectrum with increased temperature. This thermal drift of the laser emission spectrum can lead to misalignment with the narrow absorption bands of illuminated material. We have developed an experimental technique to measure the time-resolved evolution of the laser emission spectrum. The data obtained from the emission spectrum measurements have been used to optimize the laser device design.; In this dissertation the progress in the development of high-power infrared laser arrays have been discussed. The different aspects of laser array design, thermal analysis and laser bar optimization have been studied analytically and experimentally.